Luca felt a surge of warmth in her heart. Those compassionate words sounded like they came from a parent caring about their child’s daily life. “It’s alright. Although I’m taking up another job, I’m still able to manage it,” said Luca. She finished drinking the chicken soup and picked up the spoon to help herself with the food.Queenie prepared all the dishes. They were home-cooked for the guest. Luca took her time tasting the dishes. Although they were not particularly tasty, they had the taste of home—something that she had been missing. Queenie and Jack exchanged glances with each other, then asked, “Oh, Luca, where are you staying now? I’ll ask the driver to send you back home later.” Luca thought of Luke. If the driver were to send her back, then her current address would be found.She shook her head and said, “Thank you, Mrs. Norman, but I can go home by myself.” "It's cold out there. There won’t be as many drivers working this late at night. Don’t reject my offer and
Luca held her phone in her hands after hearing the beeping sound. She glanced at the time. It was still early. She put down her briefcase and looked at the messy apartment. Then, she started cleaning the place up. An hour later, Luca had already finished cleaning up the apartment, but Amur was still not home yet. Luca had no idea if he was on a mission, so she dared not to call him again lest she disturbed him. She picked up a piece of paper, left a note for him, and left the apartment.After she left the apartment, she hailed a taxi to go back to the villa.It was already 11 o’clock at night. Luca walked into the living room. No one was there. She figured that the children must have gone upstairs to sleep at this hour, but Luke…She bent down and changed into a pair of slippers. Then, she crept her way up the stairs. As expected, the second floor was quiet as well. Luca walked to her bedroom door and glanced at the room opposite her. The door was closed tightly. She could
“I drank some when I was on the mission.” Amur found an excuse to cover up the fact that he was drowning himself in alcohol. He had been going out drinking for a few nights now.He could not calm himself down at the thought of Luca staying with Luke, and he had never stopped thinking of bringing her back to his side. However, Luca would not allow him to do so. Therefore, Amur had no choice but to drink his sorrows away. Luca frowned as she listened to his hoarse yet slightly slurred words. “Amur, is something bothering you lately?” Amur remained silent for quite some time.He so badly wanted to tell her that she was his biggest worry, but how could he say something like that to her?Luca only saw him as her younger brother. “No. Stop overthinking.” Amur looked down. He dared not to say anything like that to her.If Luca knew he had feelings for her, she would convince him to forget about her and return to the Island of Despair.Now that she was surrounded by danger, he co
They would still suspect her when the time came.Although Luca felt embarrassed, she still agreed to it and said, "Alright. I'll be there at noon." "Alright. Then I'll leave you to it." Queenie sounded happy when Luca agreed to it as though the matter would be settled once the two people met each other.Luca was an outstanding woman, and the man Jack recommended was a fine, young man. When the two of them met each other, they would certainly catch each other's eyes.Moreover, Luca agreeing to go on a blind date indicated that there was probably nothing going on between Luca and Luke. After Queenie hung up the call, Luca put her phone aside.Luca thought they were just testing her, but she did not expect that they would really make arrangements after she agreed to their suggestion. She thought her parents were not the kind of people who enjoyed arranging blind dates for others. However, they were doing it to her now.Perhaps they were worried that she would steal someone's hu
Luca nodded. She knew Luke was in his office based on what Jason had told her. He was not planning to go down for lunch.That would be great. That way, he would not find out that she was going on a blind date. Jason and Luca got into the elevator together. He pressed the button for the first floor and asked Luca, "Dr. Craw, where are you going for lunch? Would you like to join us?" “I have a lunch date.” Luca shook her head and rejected Jason’s offer.Lunch date? Jason raised his brows. Luca was only closer to Tina in the office, and she was considered a lone wolf. Who could she possibly have a lunch date with?Could it be that younger brother of hers? It would be a disaster if Luke found out about it. A jealous man was the scariest. When Luke got jealous, that was even more terrifying. “Are you having lunch with your younger brother?” Jason asked immediately.Luca shook her head and replied, “No.”“I see…" Jason still wanted to ask her who she was having lunch with, but s
If Jason told Luke about it, normal employees like them would probably have to deal with a hot-headed boss for the whole day…However, if Jason chose to not tell Luke, what should he do if some other man was stealing the lady boss from Luke?Jason was in a dilemma. He ran into Tina when he entered the office. Tina was carrying a lunch box. It seemed she had gotten a takeaway as well. “Tina, you didn’t dine in for lunch?” “I was late when I came down. There wasn't a seat left in the cafe next door, so I ordered takeout instead,” Tina said helplessly. “You ordered takeout at the cafe next door?” Jason glanced at the takeout packaging she was carrying. It was indeed from the cafe next door."Yes. I even saw Dr. Craw's date just now. He's quite handsome. If someone introduced me to such a cute guy for a blind date, I wouldn't have to be pressured by my parents for not getting married yet." Tina put on a love-struck expression on her face. She had been sizing Luca's date up when sh
Enoch nodded his head understandingly. “Oh, I’m sorry.” "It's alright. You work in a different industry, so it’s normal for you to be unaware of some practices here. Anyway, I’ll head back to work now.” Luca let out a sigh of relief when Enoch did not insist on sending her upstairs. Queenie did not say anything either.Luca had no idea how she was going to reject Enoch if he insisted on sending her there. However, he seemed like a generous man. He would not do things abruptly. Luca would just distance herself from him after this. Enoch would understand what was going on even if she did not spell it out for him.Luca accepted Queenie’s arrangement, but there was nothing Queenie and Jack could do if Luca and Enoch did not click well with each other. “Sure. I’ll keep in touch with you through Facebook,” Enoch added. It had been such a long time since he met a woman who caught his eyes, and that was why he wanted to go for it. Luca nodded, turned around, and left. Queenie smile
Luca shook her head. What would happen if Luke found out about it?If Luke was really bothered about her blind date, then everyone in the office would get into trouble…Luca glanced at the time. There were two minutes left until lunch break was over. She trotted over to clock in.Luke walked out of his office and saw Luca clocking in. Then, he walked toward her.Luca turned around and saw the man in front of her. She could not help but be startled for a moment. She lowered her head unconsciously, avoiding his gaze. She had no idea why she had this guilty feeling when she saw Luke…It was as if she had done something wrong and was caught…However, she was Luca now, not Bianca. The identity Abel had given her was a single, unmarried woman, not a married woman…“Mr. Crawford, I’m going back to work now,” said Luca.Luke frowned when he noticed Luca was running away from him like a mouse running away from a cat. He asked, “Why are you so late?” “I was having lunch just now and
The volunteer did not mind. As long as it meant he could recover, he was willing to endure any pain. “It's okay. I can handle it.”Luca nodded.The door to the vehicle opened, and a man stepped inside. Due to the lack of sterilization, he did not dare approach the inner part of the vehicle. Instead, he placed several bottles of saline on the outside.“This is the saline that Mr. Shanks prepared. He asked you to inject it when you can,” the man relayed Shanks' message.“Got it.” Luca reached out to take the bottles. After thoroughly disinfecting them, she brought them inside.It was more complicated than being in a hospital.Since the volunteer's body was still weak. They had to maintain as sterile an environment as possible.However, it still fell short of the ICU's standard.Luca stayed with the volunteer until evening. Gerald stood outside the medical vehicle and called, “Ms. Craw, it's time for dinner.”Luca took off her protective gear and stepped outside.“Ms. Craw, di
“Don’t worry, it won’t affect you in the slightest,” said Abel.The villa was bought under Shanks’ name.So while it appeared to be the Island of Despair’s property, it was, in fact, Shanks’ personal asset.Abel shot a glance at his subordinates, who stood beside him. Without hesitation, they grabbed the doctor and hauled him away.As Hera watched the scene unfold, she felt a sudden pang of unease. She was well aware of Abel's methods. Punishment was never off the table. However, seeing the way things were unfolding, Hera could not shake the feeling that Abel might actually take the doctor’s life.Still, they were in A City, a country with strict laws. Would Abel really go that far?As Abel turned to leave, Hera said almost nervously, “Darling…”“I have some matters to take care of. Be good and stay here. Don’t wander around, okay?” Abel’s mood was apparently lifted by the successful surgery. His voice was unexpectedly gentle.Hera’s unease only deepened. She grabbed the slee
All three of them stepped out of the vehicle.Hera realized that the surgery might already be over and could not wait to hear the results.Abel, equally eager, immediately asked as soon as he saw them, “Is the surgery finished?”“Yes, the surgery was successful. The transplant was completed, and all the nerves we could connect have been repaired. Now, it’s up to the follow-up treatment,” answered Shanks.The doctor who had been kicked out earlier stared in disbelief.They actually succeeded in the transplant? How was that even possible?“Great, fantastic!” Abel let out a sigh of relief before bursting into laughter.What had seemed impossible in modern medicine had achieved a different outcome in Shanks’ hands.Unlike others who might celebrate the medical breakthrough, Abel’s joy came from a more personal place—Kassy would soon return to his side. His delight was unmistakable.“T-This can’t be!” muttered the dismissed doctor, who was still in shock. “A surgery this revoluti
After returning to her room, Luca told Luke about the surgery that day.She explained that she had not been able to participate in the operation and was uncertain if Abel would prevent her from being involved in the future. If she was not allowed to take part, she might lose her excuse to stay here. Also, she would not be able to help with what was to come.Luke replied to her message quickly, assuring her that everything was already planned out and she did not need to worry.Luca frowned slightly as she read his message. She wanted to ask about his plan but hesitated for a moment and decided against it. Knowing too much about Luke's men might backfire.Luca deleted their chat history but soon received another message from him.He told her that T Corporation had successfully won the bid and that he had already found someone to replace Lucius’ role.Luca let out a sigh of relief. Finding a replacement for Lucius meant that he was out of danger for now. The worry that had been we
However, Abel was not fooled by her words.He asked again, “Who are you looking for?”“Oh, I'm looking for Gerald. I've noticed that most people are here, but Gerald is missing, so I was just curious,” Hera replied honestly, knowing that Abel was naturally suspicious.“I’m starting to feel like you’ve become quite close with Gerald recently,” Abel asked suspiciously.Hera froze for a moment, then laughed and explained, “I often ask him to help with little things. He might not have many qualities, but he’s pretty diligent.”Abel did not respond right away, as though he was considering her words carefully.Hera lowered her voice and teased, “What's the matter? Are you jealous?”Before he could answer, she quickly added, “You’re so outstanding. How could I ever be interested in some ordinary man?”As soon as she said that, a flicker of unease crossed her mind.Abel was far superior to Lucius in looks and wealth. However, she seemed to be more drawn to Lucius.Despite her actions
For Shanks, no matter how skilled the two ophthalmologists were, they could not compare to Luca. The key was their smooth coordination. They were used to working together. If it were other doctors, they would probably start asking questions once they entered the operating room, making it impossible for Shanks to focus and perform the surgery calmly.Shanks believed this was a groundbreaking procedure, not just another teaching surgery for ophthalmologists.Abel understood Shanks’ concerns, but he still insisted, “They’re not just any doctors. They’ve signed agreements, and they won’t interrupt you with questions during the surgery. They’ll cooperate fully.”As Luca listened to Abel, she realized what he was really worried about. Besides the risk of the surgery failing, he was not confident in her.This surgery was important, and Abel was worried she might sabotage it in the operating room.Shanks furrowed his brows and looked at Luca.Luca gave him a faint smile. Whether or not
As Gerald shook his head furiously, it was not difficult for Luca to figure out what was going on.She glanced at Hera's irritation and figured it all stemmed from Luke being reassigned. Not being able to see him was clearly driving her to act like this.Luca secretly let out a sigh. They said women were the cause of trouble, but honestly, men could just be the same.Even with Luke disguised as an ordinary man, his cold and commanding air still captivated Hera.She glanced at the bowl nearby. The food Gerald brought Hera was barely touched.It seemed like she was so consumed with thoughts of Luke that she had lost her appetite...Luca’s expression remained unchanged. She was long accustomed to keeping her emotions in check around others.“Ms. Sanchez, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not close with Mr. Lucius, so I don’t have his contact information.” Luca kept her face impassive.“You’re lying!” Hera narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You’re so close to him. How could you not have it?”
As soon as Luca returned to her bedroom after dinner, she received a video call request from the kids.It had been a long time since she last saw them. When she saw the call request, she locked the door, put on her headphones, and immediately answered.“Ms. Luca!” As soon as the call connected, the faces of all three kids appeared on the phone screen.“Sweethearts!” Luca blew them a kiss.“Ms. Luca, we miss you so much!” Tommy was the first to express how much they missed Luca.Luca's heart stirred with waves of longing when she heard them. She had been so busy recently, hoping to finish everything here quickly so that she and Luke could reunite with the kids. That was why she had not contacted them much.Plus, with Old Master Crawford taking care of them, she felt at ease.Now that Luca saw the faces of the three kids, her longing for them instantly surged and overwhelmed her.Her eyes reddened. “I miss you all so much too.”Rainie, always the thoughtful one, noticed her em
The men in the room were wincing in pain, but when they heard Gerald’s words, they were so furious they almost wanted to lash out at him. However, all their strength had been sapped by the excruciating pain, so they could only groan helplessly.As Shanks made his way upstairs, he paused halfway up the staircase and asked, “Is Luca cooking?”Gerald glanced at the kitchen and replied, “Yes, Mr. Shanks. It’s their fault. Ms. Craw was delayed in making dinner because of them.”Shanks' expression remained unchanged as he simply said, “Let me know when it's ready.”“Yes,” answered Gerald.After Shanks went upstairs, Gerald hesitated for a moment but decided to help the men to their feet, placing them one by one on the couch or chairs. As they slouched, groaning in pain, Gerald shook his head. “Do you guys now understand what happens when you mess with the wrong woman, especially Ms. Craw?”One of the men winced and asked, “Why did she have to be so brutal when throwing down?”“She